Ryan's Bad Day
by littlemissprincess721
Summary: 5th Story in the Littlest CSI series! Spoilers for the episode 'Nailed'. Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:Miami, just Emily Taylor. Big thanks to KatieC! Read and Review!
1. Working Alone Again!

Here's the fifth story in the Littlest CSI Series. It involves Emily in the episode when Ryan gets a nail in his eye. Mostly focuses on Eric and Ryan's friendship and how Ryan's bad mood before he is injured hurts Emily. Hope you like it!

Ryan stood at the Crime Scene alone. Again.

The Coroner had already removed Brenda Hall's body, and now it was just him and a pool of blood. Calleigh had left already; she had been called off to another case. Emily was tied up for a little while until she finished up a homicide on the other side of town. Horatio was gone as well; he had interviews to conduct. They had tried to call Delko, but who knew where the hell he was lately.

In the past month, Delko had not shown up to three consecutive crime scenes he and Ryan were supposed to be working on together. The first two times Ryan had been forgiving. He had developed a tentative friendship with Eric, and he didn't want to damage his true acceptance into the team. This, however, was ridiculous.

He was fuming as he processed the crime scene. He wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place, but no, Delko just had to go MIA today…

He was most definitely speeding as he made his way back to the Lab.

_Oh Delko, you will be sorry when I finally get my hands on you!_

Ryan Wolfe, in other words, was pissed.


	2. Fighting

Ryan's Bad Day Chapter 2

Emily was finishing up with her homicide case in the Trace Lab when Ryan stormed in, a very angry look on his face. He dropped a box of evidence on the table and stormed out the door.

Emily exchanged a look of shock with Valera. "What's the matter with him?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," replied Valera. "It was supposed to be his day off."

Emily went over to the door and stuck her head out, meaning to yell at Ryan for just leaving evidence in the Lab. They weren't his servants, after all.

She saw Ryan facing Eric down the hall, hands folded across his chest, saying something. Eric looked infuriated and made wild gestures, yelling in reply. Ryan said something about 'Delko time', Eric yelled again.

Calleigh saw the fight, and ran off to break it up. Emily came up too.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"Nothing." Both Ryan and Eric said at the same time. With one last glare at Eric, Ryan stomped off to the elevator, mumbling something about working on the scene some more. Emily looked at Calleigh, who nodded.

"Wait, Ryan. I'm coming too." Emily said, running to the elevator.

"Don't you have a case?" Ryan's tone showed that he was still annoyed.

"Just finished. Figured you could use some help." Emily answered with a smile.

Ryan only nodded in response.

Emily and Ryan worked in silence at the crime scene. Ryan still looked mad, and Emily felt incredibly awkward. This was not the Ryan she knew.

"Hey, Ryan, I have something." Emily called as she walked out of the house, holding up a nail gun.

Ryan shrugged and turned back to the burnt grass on the front lawn.

"Do you think it was the murder weapon?" Emily asked. She would do anything to make him talk.

"I don't know," Ryan said tersely. "If you're so smart why don't you figure it out?"

Emily stood there, her mouth open in shock. She couldn't believe Ryan had just said something so insulting. It wasn't so much what he had said, it was the way he had said it. She felt like she had been hit in the stomach.

"Fine," she said her voice catching slightly, trying to hide her tears from him. "I will."

Ryan didn't answer.

He knew he was out of line. He knew he shouldn't treat a colleague like that. He looked up meaning to apologize, but Emily was already gone in her own Hummer that she had driven to the crime scene.

He sighed as he went to finish the crime scene, which included dumpster diving for burnt clothes. Alone. Oh well. It was his own fault he had gone off on Emily.

He drove back to the lab in a guilty, angry silence.

At the lab he met Horatio who told him to grab someone and go to Brenda's apartment.

He stopped in the Trace lab.

"Hey…uhm…Emily?" He called.

Emily did not look up from her work "What is it Wolfe?" She asked brusquely.

_Damn it she never calls me Wolfe. I messed up…_

"I was just wondering if you wanted to help me process Brenda Hall's apartment."

"Sorry, I'm busy." She said.

Ryan knew right away that he was dismissed. He found Calleigh and they went to the victim's apartment.

Hours later he was led back to the scene by a message on Brenda Hall's phone. He had just lifted prints from Mr. Hall's phone and sent them back to Calleigh, via the print scanner in the back of his Hummer.

It took less than five minutes for Ryan's phone to ring.

"Wolfe." He answered.

"Yeah, Ryan, I got a hit through AFIS. His name is Karl Lampley." Calleigh said promptly.

"The contractor," said Ryan. "Thanks Cal."

Ryan hung up the phone and unholstered his gun, making his way towards the trailer.

"Mr. Lampley?" he called.

He looked around the trailer, gun ready. A cabinet opened and some blueprints fell over. Ryan turned toward the noise.

"Mr. Lampley?" he called again.

He heard a click. The bathroom door had moved ever so slightly.

"Mr…" he opened the door.

He heard a loud BANG, and felt excruciating pain in his right eye. He fell to the floor writhing in pain. He could see blood, his blood.

_Oh God…_

His hand groped for his phone. He called dispatch.

"Officer down…"


	3. The Hospital

Ryan's Bad Day, Chapter 3

Emily was driving with Eric to a separate scene when they heard the dispatch.

"Officer down…" Said a voice that was filled with pain.

"Did that sound like…" Emily started.

"That was Ryan!" Eric shouted.

He cranked the wheel hard and turned the car.

In less than five minutes they were at the scene. Emily bolted out of the car.

_I was so mean to him…_

She ran up the steps and burst into the trailer.

"Oh my…Ryan!" She knelt beside him and grabbed his hand. He was gasping. A huge nail seemed to be sticking out of his right eye.

"Emily…" Ryan moaned.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay." Emily said soothingly.

Eric burst into the trailer. "What do we do?" Emily asked.

"We get him to the hospital," Eric said. "Help me get him up."

They each took one of Ryan's arms and helped him outside. He moaned.

"Sir, the paramedics are coming." A police officer called to Eric.

"We don't have time for that!" Eric shouted as he and Emily helped Ryan into the car.

The ride to the hospital was intense to say the least. Ryan screamed in pain from the front seat. Emily grabbed his hand and tried to soothe him. Eric was driving like a madman, with his sirens on, and kept screaming at Ryan.

"Don't you go into shock on me man!" Eric yelled as he honked at a car that was determined not to yield to them.

They pulled up to the emergency entrance of the hospital and Ryan was whisked away. Emily leaned against the wall and sank into a sitting position. Ryan had been hurt and it was all her fault. If only she had agreed to go to the crime scene with him.

She looked up at Eric who had just hung up his phone.

"I'm…uh…going to go outside." Eric said as he walked out the door.

Emily sat alone. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She was not alone for long however, as Horatio walked in.

"Hey." He said in a comforting voice. He knelt and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

A tear slipped down Emily's cheek. "I should have been there."

Horatio helped her to her feet and wrapped her in a hug. "He's going to be fine. Shh, it's going to be okay."

Eric walked in. Horatio pulled back and grasped her shoulders. "Why don't you go back to my car, okay? I'll take you back to the Lab."

Emily nodded numbly and left, passing Eric on her way out.

Horatio watched Emily leave. He turned to Eric.

"Eric, what happened?" He asked sternly.

"I don't know. Emily and I were driving to another crime scene when we heard the dispatch. We were about a block away. I turned around, we found him with a nail in his eye. We put him in the car, and brought him here." Eric said.

"Why didn't you show up this morning?" Horatio said, looking sternly at his CSI.

"I'm sorry. I was busy." He mumbled.

"You were busy? That's no excuse to bail out on work, Eric and you know it."

Eric sighed and looked away, the wrath of Horatio Caine hitting him hard.

"I'm going to take Emily back to the lab. You will take Ryan's place in the case from here on."

"Yes, sir." Eric answered, guiltily.

"Eric," Horatio said. "I'm disappointed. Yes, we all make mistakes but unfortunately for Ryan this one has been costly. Make sure this does not happen again."

Eric nodded and watched Horatio leave. He spoke briefly with Ryan's doctor then headed back to the Lab.

The ride back to the Lab with Horatio was silent. Emily stared at the window, trying desperately to blink back tears.

"Emily," Horatio inquired. "Did something happen that I should know about?"

Emily was silent for a moment.

"Well, Ryan and I were fighting and I refused to accompany him to Brenda Hall's apartment. He didn't even ask me to go back to the house with him. I just took a case with Eric. I assumed he didn't need, much less want, my help."

"I see. Did he say something to you?" He asked her, gently.

"Uhm, yes…" Emily fell silent.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me."

Horatio was worried about his team. His youngest CSI was guilt ridden, Ryan was hurt, and Eric was skipping out on work. He sighed and drove on, pondering the situation.

They reached the Lab and Emily walked quickly to the locker room. She changed her shirt, which was covered in blood, and cleaned her face. She left the locker room to find Eric, determined to solve the case.


	4. Guilty, Injured, and so on

Ryan's Bad Day, Chapter 4

Emily paced in the lab, waiting for Eric to come back from the Scene with evidence.

She felt extremely guilty about what happened to Ryan and she couldn't shake it. She should have been there. He was having a bad day; she had no reason to get mad at him. None. It was all her fault.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor with that pacing."

Emily whirled and practically launched herself at Eric.

"Please tell me you have something for me to process."

"Another nail gun." He answered holding up the object in its clear plastic bag.

"Good, I'll get on it." Emily said grabbing the nail gun and immediately began processing it.

She swabbed it and found a substance, a combination of resin and oil. Funny…She called Eric, told him and settled in for another long wait.

Calleigh entered the lab holding a small evidence envelope

"What's that?" Emily asked.

"The nail that was in Ryan's eye." Calleigh said.

Emily looked anxious. "Is he okay?"

"Yes. Actually they are going to release him soon." Calleigh said with an encouraging smile.

"I need the second nail gun to compare striations." She continued, but Emily was already bagging the gun.

Emily yanked off her gloves and her lab coat. She practically threw the bagged gun at Calleigh as she rushed out of trace lab.

She ran headfirst into Eric.

"Oh. Good. I was looking for you." She said, blushing slightly from embarrassment.

"Well you found me. I was actually just heading out to pick up Ryan." Eric said. Emily immediately detected the guilty tone in his voice. She laid a hand on his arm gently.

"I'm coming with you."

Eric smiled and pulled her into a brotherly hug. They stood there for a minute, each feeling the other's guilt and each supporting the other. Eric smiled.

"Let's go." he said softly.

Horatio found Calleigh down in the Trace Lab, comparing striations on the nail from Ryan's eye, and a nail she had just shot from the second nail gun.

"What do you have Calleigh?" He asked.

"They match. Take a look." She said as she stepped back from the microscope.

Horatio peered at the nails. "Good. That confirms my theory." He stood there for minute, seeming lost.

"Horatio? You there?" Calleigh asked bringing him back to reality.

"Oh. Yes, Calleigh. I'm alright." He said blinking and staring at the ground.

"No you're not." Calleigh said softly. She slipped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. "Tell me what you're worried about."

He sighed, tightening his hold on her. "I'm worried about those three. Emily's feeling guilty, Ryan's hurt, and Eric is missing work. I don't know quite what to do." He had been very harsh with Eric at the hospital, but whatever hurt his Team hurt him too and right now he didn't know what he could do to help them.

Calleigh pulled back and looked up at him. "Sometimes, Horatio, there is nothing that you can do but step back and let them work it out on their own. I'm sure they'll figure it out, just give them a little time."

Horatio pulled her back into a hug. He rested his chin on her head and breathed in the flowery scent of her hair.

"What would I do without you?" He mumbled.

Calleigh smiled. "You just go finish this case okay? I'll swing by your place tonight and make you dinner."

"It's a date." He replied.


	5. It's All Going to be Okay

Ryan's Bad Day, Final Chapter.

Emily leaned forward in her seat the entire ride to the hospital. As soon as Eric parked she was out the door and running for the entrance. She had to see Ryan. She had to see for herself that he was going to be okay.

She burst through the Emergency Room Doors, looking around wildly for Ryan. She didn't see him. She gave a frustrated groan and began to pace. She paced and paced, glancing up at the doors to the patient's area every once in a while. Eric walked in five minutes after she did.

"You've got to stop this pacing thing." He said with a smile.

Emily just shook her head. Suddenly she stopped and faced the doors to the patient's area.

They were opening, and Ryan Wolfe was walking out. His right eye was terribly swollen, but otherwise he looked okay.

"Ryan!" She shouted.

Ryan looked up in surprise to see Emily flying towards him. She barreled into him, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug.

"Oh Ryan, I'm so sorry. I should've been there. I was so worried. It's all my fault…" She trailed off into silence and buried her head into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay Em. I'm fine. Actually, I should be apologizing to you. What I said earlier," he said pulling her back so he could see her face, "Was way out of line."

Emily grinned and hugged him again. "I forgive you."

She pulled back looked at him, tilting her head slightly towards Eric. Ryan smiled and turned to him.

"I was out of line earlier." He said.

"Its fine." Replied Eric. "But, if you ever mention Delko time again I'll kill you."

Emily smiled and stepped between the two men who were as close as brothers to her.

"Shall we?"

Ryan and Eric grinned and they each took one of her arms. The trio marched out into the Miami sunshine, all feeling that everything, for now, was going to be okay.


End file.
